Montreal Makeup Artist

Monthly Archives: November 2010

When we think back to the sixties one thing always comes to mind (well my mind anyways): the winged eyeliner. It’s such a classic and clean look – almost deceivingly simple, but such a hard look to accomplish and to accomplish right.

Today’s look was just that; a fresh and dewy base, contoured cheekbones and a very natural lip – where all the attention is on the thick, winged black eyeliner. Personally, I don’t think it’s a good idea to steal the show away from the eyeliner, which is why the rest of the face is balanced by being simple and neutral. It worked back in the sixties – and it works now (for a reason!).

After - Winged out Eyeliner

After - Winged out Eyeliner

After - Winged out Eyeliner

After - Winged out Eyeliner

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Growing up (actually, up until two years ago) I hated my hands, and as a result I never painted my nails. To me my hands always looked discoloured and not very pretty. Then last year I met a friend who made me realize that my hands were unique and indeed very pretty! Thanks to her, I embraced my hands for their uniqueness and her love for nail polish – and started wearing nail polish on the regular. Since then I’ve turned into a nail polish feign (it suits my profile) – and wear it on the regular.

Loving nail polish but at the same time being very busy, I’m always looking on ways to make my manicure last for at least 5-6 days. There are two things that I’ve come across that I can’t live without when doing my nails.

The first is my QUO 4 sided nail buffer (I use the one from QUO, however any nail buffer would work). Buffing your nails really makes your manicure last. Doing this before you apply any nail polish actually eliminates the need to put on a base coat or a ridge filler.

Sephora - 4 Sided Buffer

The second step to my fool proof long lasting manicure is… (drum roll please)… the Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro. The bottle says that it lasts up to 10 days, and I kid you not – this nail polish lasts chip – free for 7 days straight! This is perfect for a busy girl like me, who doesn’t have time to do her nails two/three times a week. The colours are trendy, long wearing and perfect!

Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro Nail Enamel

So ladies, keep your wallet in mind when purchasing nail polish. Why spend double on nail enamel from more expensive brands like OPI or Essie? Don’t get me wrong, I love the product of both companies – but sometimes budget options are the way to go, and with Rimmel you will not be disappointed!

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There is one thing that I adore more than makeup – coffee! I can’t live without my morning cup; to me it’s like a warm hug and what beats that? Nothing! What’s even better than coffee is a mocha. My sister and I had our coffees this morning a la mocha. I thought it was delicious, she wasn’t as big of a fan (everyone has their tastes). Our homemade mochas were comparable to those at Starbucks (or so I like to believe), minus the whip cream and chocolate drizzle (think of it as wallet and waist friendly). Perfect for a cozy weekend at home with the family!

Rich Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Step 1: Making the Hot Chocolate

Step 2: Add a shot of Espresso to the Hot Chocolate

Step 3: Enjoy!

**All Pictures taken with my Hipstamatic App on the iPhone4**

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Forget the lips, the eyes are back with a vengeance! Tonight’s dramatic smokey eye look is paired with a strip of false lashes to give it an extra intense and dark look. Paired with a soft, golden lip this look is perfect for a night out on the town.

Dark & Dramatic Smokey Eye

Dark and Dramatic Smokey Eye

Dark & Dramatic Smokey Eye

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I can honestly say that I feel like November is always the longest month of the year. For me, September and October fly by – but when November rolls on in, it takes it’s sweet time to go by. With the time change and cooler temperatures, November has the tendancy to kick my butt- leaving me exhausted, a little impatient and somtimes (although I hate to admit it) beyond miserable. Little things that would never upset or even phase me in other months, all seem to get the best of me, especially when dealing with my students at school. It’s been so bad lately, that I even seem to be asking myself if I’m cut out to be a teacher – which is an absolutely ridiculous question to ask myself, because I know what the answer is. This leads me to place the blame on one thing – and only one thing: November.

New Delhi, India

Since I’ve had such a rough month – I booked a last minute and completely spontaneous trip to India (I had my heart on Thailand – but India makes for a pretty good runner up) for my winter break with my best friend. Now I am counting down the days until my break starts -not just to get a well deserved break from my job, but to enjoy the beauty that awaits for me in India. Although, my parents are from India, I havent been back since I was three; and as much as I love my roots (we’re from the northern province of Punjab) – we have decided to explore the south of India and some of the other major cities. I can’t wait for adventure, party and sun – Is November over yet????

Mumbai, India

Taj Mahal - Agra, India

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As we know, I’m all about the eyes – however, there is a way to create more drama. Let’s face it, a bold lip, no let’s make that a bold red lip, definitely has more of an impact than dark & dramatic eyes (yes, yes, it’s killing me to admit this). Many girls are all about the lips – and a red lip does look very glamorous especially when paired with an overall classic makeup look. Red lipstick creates such a timeless look that channels old Hollywood – always sophisticated and beautiful, the perfect look for the many holiday parties that are coming up!

After - Classic Red

Hailey (my model) has very unique shaped lips – which she absolutely adores. They are naturally very pointy at the top, and instead of playing this down, I followed her natural top peaks. This is just a reminder that everything unique about your face stands out, and is what makes you even more beautiful.

After - Classic Red

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I’ve always loved Iman – she rocks a wide spectrum of looks and always looks amazingly glamorous when she does. Her darker skin is always flawless and the colour is always perfect – so it only makes sense that she would have her own cosmetics line and book of beautiful makeup looks. In today’s class – I chose a look done on Iman by Iman herself (yes, she’s a supermodel who is used to doing her own makeup since makeup artists never got her skin tone right).

Before - No Makeup

This look was all about perfect skin and intense lashes – pushing me out of my boundaries a little bit by putting lashes on the bottom as well. It was definitely more high fashion – and in reality, probably wouldn’t even be worn on a night out for fear of the bottom lashes falling out. However, for photography purposes, this is a beautiful and dramatic look that I will definitely be doing again!

After - Copy a Look

After - Copy a Look

After - Copy a Look

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There are many different types of makeup – as we know. There are some looks that are timeless and will never go out of style (think Audrey Hepburn). With these looks – a picture from 20 years ago will never look outdated the way most fashion looks will. Tonight’s first look is a classic look – very clean makeup, with a great emphasis on the skin and eyes. The eyes are simply defined, grabbing any onlookers attention.
The second look is an evening glamour look – not something to be worn by the weak! Once again, we have beautiful skin, intense eyes full of drama and gorgeously defined lips. Undoubtedly a look that screams glamour.

Step 1:
Apply the foundation over the entire face with a brush or damp sponge (I used a Sephora Professional Airbrush Brush 55). I blended it in the skin to get a very thin and natural finish.

Step 2:
Apply the concealer under the eyes, on the entire eyelid (this preps your eyes for the eyeshadow) and on any other discolourations. I blend in with my fingers, however you may use a concealer brush if desired.

Step 3:
Dust on the HD powder on skin very lightly, and blend into skin using circular motions. I used a Sephora Powder brush – any large fluffy brush will do.

Step 4:
Blush and Bronzer. I used my bronzer to contour my face (my face is naturally very round) and add definition. The colour is concentrated under my cheekbone and blended using my Sephora Bronzer Brush no. 44. To add more definition, go over with the blush and blend upwards towards the hair line.

A Little Bit of Drama

Step 5:
Cover the entire eyelid in Tequila, making sure to highlight the inner corner of the eye.

Step 6:
Accentuate the outer “v” of your eye by lightly pressing on the gel from the smudgepot. This will not look very pretty – but it’s the base colour to add more drama and colour to your eyeshadow that you will apply on top.

Step 7:
With a crease brush, use the Tijuana in the crease and blend out.

Step 8:
Go over the entire eyelid with the Razor Gray (keeping the inner corner highlighted), making sure to blend blend blend. The more blending that you do, the better your finish will be.

Step 9:
Rim your waterline with the Kohl Pencil.

Step 10:
With an angled brush – dip into the Smudgepot and line your upper lashes.

Step 11:
Apply one to two coats of mascara on your upper and bottom lashes.

Step 12:
I don’t ever line my lips – I just filled them in with my lipstick and went over with the gloss.

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I’ve been asked to do a blog on how to get a smokey eye and what products to use – so, today we will look at the smokey eye again! Here’s the catch though – I am my own model! I’m going to give step by step instructions on how to get the super stylish, super sexy smouldering smokey eye!

Step 1 - Foundation & Concealer

Step 1 is to use foundation and concealer to cover up any dark spots or blemishes. Many brown girls (unfortunately) have discoloured skin – and therefore foundation is a must! Before you put on any makeup however, it is important to prep the skin with moisturizer and if needed use a pore minimizer (this is for us ladies who have big pores!).
For my skin tone, I used MAC’s Studio Fix Fluid in NC44 and a Rimmel concealer (less than $8 at Pharmaprix!) in Golden Beige.

Steps 1 & 2 - Foundation, concealer, blush & bronzer

Step 2 is blush and bronzer. I used two blushes, one by MAC in Plum Foolery and NARS Orgasm. The bronzer that I used for my skin tone is the Deeper Refined Bronze – which I used to contour my cheeks and my nose.

After your base is complete, it’s time to move on to the eyes – the focus of this look. Once again, I used purples – which I love on brown eyes! The palette I looked to complete this look was my Kat Von D True Romance Eyeshadow Palette in Beethoven. I love all eye makeup by Kat Von D, because the colours are intense and last all day or night without fading or creasing. I also used a Rimmel block Kohl eyeliner, a Stila smudge pot in Black, L’Oreal’s gel liner in Eggplant and mascara (and drug store mascara will do the trick). For my lips I used Sephora’s Maniac Mat Long Wearing Matte Lipstick in a matte natural pink topped off by my favourite MAC Lipglass in Lust.

Kat Von D - True Romance Eyeshadow Palette in Beethoven

Mascara, Eyeliner, Gel liner, Lipstick and Lipgloss

The Purple Smokey Eye

Now let’s move on to the steps for the eyes. First I used Tequila all over my eye (the yellowish colour). This was followed by Rad Purple (any dark purple), Sinner (a medium purple) and Lucifer (any black) in the crease. The key to this look is to blend blend blend, and add layers of colour gradually rather than a lot right away. Next, I used Galeano (a lighter purple) all over my eyelid and blend all the colours seamlessly together using a blending brush. Once the eyeshadow is done, I lined my water line with a black kohl eyeliner (it’s important to use a kohl liner or the intensity will disappear) and used a dark purple (the same eyeshadow that was used in the crease) underneath my waterline. I then lined my eyelid with both gel liners. I used the eggplant first, and then added the black for more intensity. The last step for the eyes is mascara. I personally like using two different types of mascara – this gives a more intense look without using any false eyelashes.
I kept the lips very simple, and didn’t use any lipliner. The matte lipstick is very very matte, so to give it a glossier I use the lipglass – however, any clear lipgloss will do the trick.